The present invention relates generally to the field of devices and mechanisms for holding a plurality of objects together into a tape-wrapped bundle, and more specifically to a method of, and apparatus for, wrapping a plurality of objects together with an adhesive or cohesive tape.
It is often desired to hold a number of objects together in a tightly-wrapped bundle. The objects-to-be-held may take many and varied forms. For example, such objects may be tubular or rod-like articles, or may be a number of adjacent convolutions of a coil of wire, tubing, or the like.
In medical applications, it is common to first wind a length of flexible plastic tubing into a coil, and to thereafter wrap the convolutions with cohesive tape to hold the coil together. Thereafter, the tape-wrapped coiled article may be inserted into a sterilized bag for handling and storage prior to use. Upon information and belief, such tubing is commonly wrapped manually by having an operator wrap the adjacent convolutions with various lengths of adhesive or cohesive tape. This requires unnecessary manual labor, and is extremely tedious for the operator. Furthermore, when a coil of flexible plastic tubing is held by a plurality of bands of adhesive tape each having its leading and trailing end portions adhered to each other in surface-to-surface relationship, it is desirable that all of the edges of these end portions be flush with each other so that they do not pick up foreign matter which can contaminate the tape, especially when the coil is used for medical applications.